Suggestive eggplant emoji is turn-off, unlikable: study
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This symbol is a huge turn-off in the language of emoticonnese.
When it comes to emojis, it’s easy to take things at “face” value. However, a new study shows that the popular eggplant emoji actually makes the user come across as unlikable.
The findings were part of Adobe’s “2022 US Emoji Trend Report” released in honor of Unicode’s upcoming 15.0 release, which includes 20 new emojis. To shed light on US emoji use, it surveyed 5,000 emoji users to discover “when, why and how Americans are using emoji for self-expression and identity, diversity, equity and inclusion, dating and relationships, workplace communications and more,” per the site.
Among other findings, the survey found that the eggplant emoticon — often used as a stand-in for penis — is a turn-off to potential dates. Specifically, the phallic vegetable ranked No. 3 among “emojis” that make the user “less likable,” right under the angry face emoticon and the symbol for poop, respectively.
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the “likable” smiley face spectrum were the heart-blowing emoji (No. 1), the heart-encircled smiley (No. 2) and the heart-eyed countenance (No. 3), per the report.
Paul D. Hunt, typeface designer and font developer at Adobe, summed up the emoji likeability index like this: “You wouldn’t want to be in a relationship with someone who can’t share their emotions with you, right?” he said. “I believe the same applies to digital communication.”
He added, “Emoji usage, and being able to communicate emotionally digitally, is part of the expected package of emotional maturity. If you aren’t able to do so, it might leave a potential partner wondering whether you lack those skills in real life too.”
In fact, the survey found that 32% of Gen Z members have ended a relationship with someone by using an emoji.
In that same vein, users’ Top 5 favorite emojis in order were the crying laughing face, the thumbs up, the heart, the sideways crying laughing face and the crying face. Meanwhile, users ranked the cowboy hat, cherry and upside-down smiley face as the top three most “misunderstood” emoticons.
While emoji perception might seem like a frivolous metric, it’s actually important given the prevalence of emoticons in online discourse. According to the study, “73% of those surveyed believe that adding these digital hieroglyphics to messages makes the sender seem cooler, friendlier, and funnier.”
The study also found that emojis make it easier to communicate, with 91% of participants claiming that they use emojis to bring levity to conversations. In addition, 60% of participants claimed that “these playful pictographs” boosted their overall mental health.
“Using emoji is a sign of emotional intelligence,” said Hunt. “It demonstrates you are able to be vulnerable and wear your heart on your sleeve.”
The importance of emojis apparently extends beyond the private communications sphere. Many users found that emoji use enhanced the remote work experience amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with 79% of survey participants claiming that they allowed people to quickly share ideas. Meanwhile, 62% felt they made decision-making more efficient, while 58% claimed that these animated visages boosted creativity.
And while smiley faces might seem like a superficial mode of communication, 71% of people believed they could prompt important conversations about cultural and societal issues.
“I love using emoji to infuse my personality into digital communications and allow me to build deeper connections with people despite not being face to face,” said Adobe computer scientist Kamile Demir.
The survey comes as Unicode and other tech firms strive to make digital discourse more inclusive by rolling out more diverse emojis — although not always with the desired effect. In January, the Apple emoji factory was accused of “wokeness” after churning out a new batch of emoticons for the new iOS 15.4, which includes a graphic of a pregnant man.
The firm also debuted a sexually ambiguous Santa Claus emoji with the iOS 14.2 beta release in 2020, angering conservative critics who accused the makers of perpetuating the so-called war on Christmas.
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